Strawberry Syrup
by KrysSaiyan
Summary: Side story to Peanut Butter Banana Sandwiches. After an accident, Robbie is left with little memory, and in a much shrunken body. Sportacus, Stephanie, and Pixel all endeavor to fix him, and meanwhile take care of him.
1. Strawberries

**Chapter 1: Strawberry**

Robbie grumbled to himself and swung his large hammer, scattering mechanical bits everywhere. The idea had struck him, sometime earlier that week, for a new invention. One that could actually be _useful_.

Problem was, it involved the Littlizer 3000 AND his amnesia gate-thingy, the Memory Sucker 3000.

Robbie Rotten was not known for his patience. He was a genius, a super-genius even, but like most brilliant people, tended to frequently have eccentricities.

Such as a large mallet being his tool of choice.

And, usually, it worked out quite well. He could create a lot of intricate complicated things with his usual flair.

Unfortunately, disassembling the Littlizer 3000 was not one of those instances.

* * *

Sportacus paused what he was doing (which happened to be handstand pushups) when his crystal beeped and flashed at him. Jumping quickly to his feet, he felt out who needed him. The instant later, he was running full-out for the billboard.

Robbie Rotten was in trouble.

He nearly broke both entrances to the man's underground home in his haste to get there, but finally slid down the pipe, rolling expertly out of it and into Robbie's house. He stood up next to the orange chair, looking around frantically.

"Robbie?" he called out worriedly. His crystal was never wrong, though… it had stopped beeping. He jumped around, trying to locate the skinny man to no avail.

"Robbie? Are you here?" he called out again. This was bad. Where _was_ he anyway? He knew he should have insisted Robbie get a house above ground and closer to the main town, he _told_ him-

There was a whimpering sound from under the workbench.

Sportacus abruptly spun toward it. He couldn't see anyone over there… maybe Robbie got hurt and was underneath it, unconscious and whimpering in pain? He felt his heart speed up with fear, and he crept forward.

"Robbie? Is that you? Are you alright?"

He looked underneath the table and he swore his heart stopped.

A pair of wide gray eyes regarded him fearfully, and their owner curled up further in a bundle of very oversized clothes.

Purple and red striped clothes.

"R-Robbie?"

The child only whimpered in response, trying to scoot away from him. Sportacus automatically shoved his surprise and shock and worry into a corner of his mind, to be dealt with later.

"Oh, hey," he said softly. "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. What's your name?"

The little boy regarded him suspiciously, and Sportacus recognized the look immediately, and didn't even need to have the boy answer.

"Robbie," came the quiet reply. Sportacus smiled at him and sat on the floor.

"My name's Sportacus." he said. The young Robbie's face scrunched up in confusion.

"That's a weird name," he said. Sportacus laughed, and was relieved to see that Robbie smiled back slightly.

"Well, Robbie, why are you here?" Again, Robbie's face wrinkled with the effort of thought.

"I don't know…" he murmured, clearly trying to recall. His face abruptly clouded up with sadness. "I'm scared," he admitted, tears filling up in his eyes. Sportacus felt every fiber of his being telling him to scoop up the little Robbie and comfort him, but he knew better.

"It's alright," he said calmly. "I'll help you find out. Meanwhile, how about some ice cream?" He smiled at the way Robbie's face instantly lit up.

"Really?" he asked breathlessly. Sportacus nodded. No need to confuse the already confused and amnesiac Robbie by telling him it was actually going to be sugar-free ice cream.

"Come on, we need to get you some clothes first." he said, holding out his hand for Robbie to take. The boy did so, clutching his vest to him. The boy was so small that the tiny vest actually worked fairly well for covering him. Sportacus stood, and picked the boy up in his arms.

"Now, to find some clothes that'll fit you!"

* * *

Robbie pouted, picking at the outfit uncomfortably.

"These clothes are stupid," he blurted out. Ziggy frowned at the insult to his "normal" clothes that he never wore anyway. On Robbie, they were ridiculously huge, but as Ziggy was the youngest of all the kids in town, he had to do.

"Thanks again Ziggy," Sportacus said.

"No problem! But, who's the new kid? And why did he need new clothes?"

"Ah… I'm taking care of him until his parents come back. And he… got all muddy."

"Ohhhh," Ziggy said. He could relate. His clothes always got dirty from running around, after all.

"We have to be going now Ziggy, see you later!"

"Bye Sportacus! Bye new kid!"

Robbie was suspiciously quiet as Sportacus and him walked away from Ziggy's house and toward the area Sportacus had left his air ship. It worried the elf somewhat. Little kids didn't tend to be this quiet.

"Looking forward to that ice cream?" he asked, hoping to remind Robbie in case he had forgotten about the promise, and hopefully bring back the smile he had seen earlier.

But all he got was a thin weak smile and further silence.

"Ladder!" he called out, and Robbie squealed in surprise as the ladder unfurled and swung in front of them. His gray eyes regarded it with wonder, and as he followed it upwards, his eyes got wider.

"What… what's that?" he squeaked. Sportacus smiled.

"My air ship! It's where I live."

"Wow," Robbie breathed. Sportacus picked him up again and instructed him to hang on tight. Robbie wrapped his thin arms around the elf's neck, and Sportacus swiftly ascended up into the air ship, setting Robbie down on the floor as soon as the platform sealed up into the ship again. Robbie regarded everything with wide-eyed wonder.

"Sportacus, I can't figure out this problem and it's driving me crazy!" Sportacus looked to see Stephanie stepping out of her room, text book in hand. "Can you take me to Robbie's? It's a science question, and-" She stopped short, seeing they had a visitor.

"Who are you?" she asked, smiling in a friendly manner. Robbie shuffled his feet and remained silent, confused. These people apparently knew his name… they kept saying it, after all… was there someone else with his name around?

"Stephanie," Sportacus said. "This is Robbie." She blinked for a moment before laughing.

"That's good! Did you get that from Trixie?" she laughed. Sportacus chuckled nervously.

"No… that's really who it is… he doesn't seem to remember anything…"

She stopped laughing, realizing he was being serious.

"Wha… so that's… how?"

"I don't know. My crystal went off, and I found him like this in his house."

Robbie stomped one foot on the ground, frustrated. He had no idea what they were talking about.

"Ice cream!" he demanded. The blue man had promised! Stephanie looked down at him, and kneeled in front of him.

"You do have the same eyes…" she murmured. Seeing Robbie's face crunch up in preparation for a tantrum, she quickly diverted him. "So, what flavor ice cream do you like Robbie?" This instantly brightened him up, and he hummed in thought, tapping fingers to the side of his head. She tried to not giggle. It looked so much like the adult Robbie that it was uncanny. Sportacus, meanwhile, was at the table scribbling out a note to Pixel requesting help as soon as possible.

"Strawbewwy," Robbie said finally. Stephanie was a little confused at the sudden babyish slur of the word, but she just smiled at him and stood up, moving over to the food table and having the ship serve out a small dish of strawberry sugar-free ice cream. Apparently, Sportacus had taken a liking to the frozen treat (she and Robbie both secretly thought it was because the elf must have come from a cooler climate, as he _always_ complained of the heat) and always had some stocked for desserts after dinner. She grabbed the spoon that popped out of the table and set it in the little dish.

"Here we go!" she chirped, carefully handing the bowl over to Robbie, who took it eagerly. "One strawberry ice cream!"

Robbie paused in mid-bite, confusion written again on his face.

"Strawbewwy," he corrected. Stephanie laughed a little.

"No, it's pronounced 'strawberry' Robbie!"

"Mmnn," Robbie spooned another mouthful of it into his mouth, apparently deciding the matter wasn't worth arguing over when there was a sweet treat to be consumed. "He always says I should say it 'strawbewwy'."

The pencil Sportacus was writing with snapped in half, and Stephanie turned her head to see what was wrong, but he was facing away from her. She gave his back a worried glance before turning back to Robbie.

"Well, I should know," she reasoned. "Everyone says my hair reminds them of strawberries!" Robbie eyed the mess of pink locks.

"Nu-uh," he asserted between bites of pink ice cream. "Strawbew-… strawbe-rr-ies are red. You're pink."

"Yeah," she replied. "But that's what other people say."

"They're stupid then," Robbie snorted.

"That's not nice Robbie," she chided. Robbie pouted and clutched his bowl tighter. Once the last spoonful was gone, he took to licking the inside of the bowl until Stephanie took it away.

"Hey!" he squeaked in protest, jumping up and down to try and get it back. She shook her head and placed the bowl in a cavity in the wall that sealed up again a moment later.

"Look at you," she said to the pouting boy. "Your face is all covered in ice cream now! We better get you cleaned up."

Robbie absolutely wailed at the prospect, and ran for Sportacus, hiding behind his legs.

"Dun wanna! Dun wanna clean up!"

Stephanie rolled her eyes, stepping into the bathroom and emerging again with a washcloth that was half dampened with warm water.

Sportacus looked down at the boy who was glaring defiantly at Stephanie while using his legs as a shield. He absently folded the letter to Pixel into an airplane while watching Stephanie manage to grab Robbie when he tried to bolt for the cover of the pilot seat, and scrub his face and hands with the washcloth with some difficulty, as he flailed stubbornly the entire time. She finally released him, huffing indignantly as he ran back for Sportacus and clung to his leg.

"There!" she said, brushing hair out of her eyes. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"It was horrible!" Robbie asserted from his place of safety, and stuck his tongue out at her. She rolled her eyes again and went into the bathroom again to put the washcloth in the appropriate bin. Sportacus stayed silent, watching Robbie's innate curiosity fire up the instant Stephanie was out of sight, and he started looking around in wonder, just itching to touch things.

Of all the things Sportacus noticed about this much younger Robbie, the childlike sparkle in his wide gray eyes was second to how abysmally _thin_ the boy was. He was almost waif-like, all gangly limbs and sharp angles. Even elf children weren't that lean, he mused as he looked down at Robbie. Was he not eating right?

"Robbie?" he said finally. Robbie blinked and looked up at him, as if just remembering that he was there. "Hey. Was the ice cream good?" He smiled at the enthusiastic nod from the boy. Adult Robbie would have a fit about enjoying sugar-free _anything_, but apparently the younger Robbie was rather easy to please.

"That's good," he added. "What do you usually have to eat? Like, for breakfast or dinner?"

Robbie thought for awhile before managing to put together what he wanted to say.

"Stuff," he said slowly. "Umm… s'getti-ohs… san'wiches... oh! I get treats when I'm good!" Robbie glanced around, as if nervous about being found out, a sly grin on his face. "When I grow up," he whispered. "I'm gonna have all the treats I want!" Sportacus laughed a little at that, and Robbie smiled back up at him, obviously happy to have someone to confide in.

"Yep!" Robbie continued. "And I won't ever have to do special things for them! I'll just have them whenever!"

Sportacus grit his teeth so hard he thought they might crack. His mind scrambled for a response.

"Well," he started slowly, and saw Stephanie coming back into the main room. "Do you like sports candy?" Robbie brought his eyebrows together in a look of confusion so complete it was almost funny.

"Sports candy? What's that?"

"I'll show you!"

Here, was something he was good at. Finally.

* * *

AN:

Woo! I finally decided to post this. It's... it's not my best work, I'll admit, but I thought I'd share anyway. This is a sort of side-story in the Peanut Butter Banana Sandwiches universe thingy. I'm working on the proper sequel right now! Honey Butter Toast. Keep your eyes open.

Some things in this won't make a bit of sense unless you've read Peanut Butter Banana Sandwiches. So... you might wanna go back and read that if you haven't already.

This one is gonna have chapter titles based on ice cream toppings. Whee.

There's not a lot of SportaRobbie action in this, simply because... well, Robbie's not himself for the majority of this fic. But it is a SportaRobbie fic, because they are in a relationship, and Sportacus alludes to this a few times. AGAIN, you really need to have prior knowledge of PBBS to get it.

Also... if you guys want to read little snippets of other fics (including the proper sequel), it's posted on my LJ. It's listed on my profile. Yes, teenage Robbie shows up in this. Yes, he's a sulky moody angry little thing. He's adorable.

Enjoy!


	2. Sprinkles

**Chapter 2: Sprinkles**

Pixel met him outside Robbie's house.

"I got your letter Sportacus," he said. "What's up?"

"Thanks. I need you to look at something. Come on."

They came out of the pipe and Sportacus led the boy over to where he had found Robbie. The shattered remains of the machine that had previously turned him into a ten year old were laying on the table, and he thought he recognized the device that gave him amnesia as well. He pointed these out to Pixel, who nodded thoughtfully, typing things into his wrist computer.

"You need me to fix them? No problem. It might be tricky, because I don't know Robbie's style very well. He's even smarter than _me_. And with none of the organizational skills. But I'll try."

Sportacus thanked him, and they both carefully gathered up the pieces of machinery and made their way back to the surface.

* * *

"I'm bored!" Robbie proclaimed loudly. Stephanie grumbled something, her head bent over the textbook. Robbie looked at her disdainfully and was about to start complaining again when a certain blue elf climbed back into the ship. Robbie squealed happily and ran over, giving him a hug. Sportacus looked startled for a moment before bursting into a huge grin and ruffling Robbie's curly black hair affectionately.

"Miss me?" he teased.

"Uh-huh!" Robbie nodded enthusiastically. "She's boring!" Stephanie made a sounds of muffled protest, but was too focused on her homework to argue with a four year old. Or maybe he was six. It was hard to tell.

"Well then," Sportacus said. "How about we go play outside and leave Stephanie to finish her work in peace?" Robbie's eyes got impossibly wide at that. There was a moment of silence.

"I... I'm allowed?"

Sportacus had to concentrate on not tensing up.

"Of course!" he replied brightly, carefully keeping all signs of anger out of his voice and expression. Robbie gazed up at him with such a look of admiration that Sportacus felt a pang. He scooped the small boy up and plopped down in the Skutla, placing Robbie securely on his lap.

"See you later Stephanie!"

She waved distractedly, and he pressed the button that dropped the vehicle out of the air ship.

Minutes later, Robbie was laughing happily, chasing butterflies around in Lazy Park. Sportacus watched from the corner of his eye, meanwhile doing jumping jacks and pushups on the wall. He was glad Robbie was having fun, for once. It was a stark contrast to the moody man he became later, who would sulk whenever Sportacus dragged him out of house for some fresh air.

He stopped his jumping jacks just shy of a thousand when he heard Robbie cry out. Quickly spotting him again, he saw Robbie had tripped over a rock and was sprawled out on the dirt. Sportacus shook his head and flipped over, kneeling beside the prone Robbie.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Robbie sniffled, tears forming in his eyes, and he sat up, wincing in pain as he did so. His arm had gotten scraped up, but he was otherwise unharmed. Sportacus made a "tsk" sound at it and moved to pick Robbie up.

"We better get that cleaned up and feeling better," he said. Robbie's eyes inexplicably dilated, and his entire small body tensed.

_"Ow!"_

_"Did you hurt yourself?"_

_"Yes..."_

_"My poor little boy. Here, let me put a bandage on it and make it feel better."_

_"Th-thank you..."_

_"You're so polite and cute! But how do we thank people Robbie?"_

_"I..."_

Robbie wailed in despair and curled up on himself, startling Sportacus.

"Robbie? Robbie, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly, rubbing the boy's back in an attempt to calm him down. Robbie screamed.

"I don't want help!"

Sportacus paused, disturbed.

"Why?"

"Cause it hurts!" Robbie continued wailing.

"It... hurts? Are you talking about the scrape?"

"N-no!" Robbie sobbed, trying to curl up further into himself. As it was, he looked tiny enough already. "I don't want to say thank you! I don't want help! Not ever!"

Sportacus felt his heart sink. It was deeply ingrained, then. He had thought Robbie must have stopped wanting help from anyone when he was older, more stubborn. Again, Robbie defied every expectation. He swallowed thickly.

"You don't have to thank me," he said softly. Robbie's crying abruptly stopped, and he hiccupped in confusion.

"I just want to make sure you're okay. Do you want a bandage?"

Robbie shook his head, tears rapidly drying in the air. He sniffled.

"M'sorry," he muttered. Sportacus smiled at him affectionately.

"It's okay," he said, and ruffled Robbie's hair again. "Were you scared?"

Robbie nodded miserably, hanging his head. Sportacus resisted the urge to hug the small child.

"Everyone gets scared sometimes. But it's okay. I'm not ever going to hurt you. Trust me?"

Robbie looked up at the sports elf and after a moment, nodded. He held out his arms, asking to be picked up, and Sportacus complied with a short laugh and hugged the boy, carrying him over to a fountain and carefully washing the dirt off of his scraped arm. Robbie whined and wiggled around during the process, but hugged Sportacus tightly when it was over.

"I like you," he said confidently.

"Oh really?"

"Yep!" Robbie grinned up at him, all tears and worries erased from his face. Sportacus got a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Ohhh?" he said. "Even when I do... _this_?" And here he started tickling the poor boy unmercifully. eliciting shrieks of laughter from him, and feeble attempts to bat his hand away. He stopped after Robbie started gasping for air, and waited for the boy to calm down.

Robbie giggled in between lungfuls of precious air.

"T-that was fun," he said breathlessly.

"So Robbie," Sportacus said, sitting him down on a bench and sitting next to him. "I meant to ask you earlier, but I forgot."

"You're silly," Robbie commented brightly.

"Maybe," Sportacus laughed lightly. "But, the question I wanted to ask. Ready?"

"Mm!"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Robbie paused, looking stricken.

"Why?"

"We need to know how you got here," Sportacus explained. Robbie's eyes widened again and started filling up with tears.

"You're gonna send me back!"

"No, Robbie, listen!" But Robbie wasn't listening.

"I don't wanna go back!" he sobbed. "Please! I wanna stay! I wanna stay here!"

Sportacus felt his heart breaking as the small boy clung to his side and bawled with grief. Even though he knew he wasn't going to be sending him back anywhere, because this was still Robbie during the present, merely shrunken and with most of his memory sucked from his head.

But it still hurt that he couldn't save him.

"Shh, shh," he crooned, rubbing Robbie's small back. "It's alright. I'll ask a different question."

Robbie whimpered, rubbing his eyes furiously before nodding miserably.

"Alright then," Sportacus smiled reassuringly. "How old are you?"

Robbie thought for a moment, counting on his fingers.

"Mmmm," he finally mumbled, holding up three fingers. "Four!" Sportacus tried to keep the smile away, but it was too cute, and too Robbie. The man was a genius, but over time Sportacus had noticed, the man had some kind of weird variation of reading dyslexia. Big words confused him (and really, not being able to spell "blue elf"?), and between the names of numbers and how many there actually were, the message got mixed up somewhere in his brain and it came out wrong. Apparently, this too was something that the little Robbie had as well.

"Four, huh?" he finally said. Robbie beamed at him, proud of having remembered, and Sportacus ruffled his hair. Robbie abruptly yawned and leaned into the touch.

"Well, if I remember correctly," the sports elf continued. "Four year olds need naps. Especially four year olds named Robbie Rotten."

Robbie whined and squirmed in protest, but all the excitement was catching up to him, and his energy drained. He was asleep before Sportacus could fly back up to the air ship.

* * *

Stephanie glanced over at the sleeping Robbie, thinking. Sportacus was quietly doing some crunches, and practicing flips and jumps. She tapped her pencil against the side of her head.

"Sportacus?" she said quietly, careful not to speak too loud and wake the boy up. Sportacus paused and looked over questioningly. She bit her lip nervously, and he strode over.

"What's up Stephanie?"

She sighed.

"Is there something wrong with Robbie?" she blurted out. Sportacus stopped still for a moment before one hand reached up and started smoothing out his mustache unconsciously.

"I'm right, aren't I? You're fidgeting." she pointed out. Sportacus made a frustrated face at her for being so keen, and his hand dropped back down. He sighed.

"It depends on your definition of 'something wrong'," he said. "What've you noticed?"

"He's scared of something." she said quickly. "And he mentioned someone. His father? I don't know," She started tapping the pencil again, thinking. "It just seems like there's something off. Robbie never seemed like he was ever this kind of kid. I always pictured Robbie as a shy little kid. And this Robbie _is_ shy, but... it's like he's shy because he's scared of something, not because that's just how he is. He's actually pretty loud and obnoxious." She smiled a little at that. "Which fits grownup Robbie pretty well too. But it's just... I was thinking... what made him like that?"

Stephanie was looking at him with such a wide-open questioning gaze that he almost wanted to say she was too young to know. But he remembered, she was turning eleven, and he couldn't use that excuse anymore. He started smoothing out his mustache again.

"It's not something I should tell you," he started. "Robbie needs to decide who knows or not." She stared at him, and he felt pinned suddenly.

'Something bad _did_ happen to him," she said. It wasn't even asking for confirmation. It was a flat statement. Sportacus made no indication of that being right or wrong, but that told her enough to know that she was right.

"Give me a hint?" she asked. Sportacus shook his head.

"Sorry Stephanie. It's really something that he should tell people himself. And don't bug him about it, when he gets back to normal. I'm serious. It's... a sore spot."

She nodded, though she was a little irritated that Sportacus thought she didn't know Robbie well enough to know how to deal with him. She and Sportacus both heard the tiny yawn as Robbie woke up from his late nap and stretched.

"Have a nice nap Robbie?" she asked. Robbie's gray eyes popped open and he looked around in confusion for a moment before remembering where he was.

"Nngh," he grunted, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He yawned again widely, and Sportacus laughed quietly. Stephanie giggled and got up, walking over and sitting down next to Robbie on the bed. He looked up at her questioningly, with wide open innocent gray eyes, and Stephanie felt her heart melt. She hugged him abruptly.

"Adorable!" she squeaked. Robbie squawked in protest and flailed.

"M'not cute! Icky girl!"

Stephanie just laughed harder and planted a kiss on his forehead. Robbie looked absolutely horrified and hurriedly began wiping his forehead on the bed covers.

"Ewwwww," he commented, making a face at her. "Girl cooties."

"How do you think I feel?" she replied, hands on her hips. "I just got boy cooties on my mouth trying to show you how cute you are!"

Robbie paused, and they could see the wheels in his head turning. His eyes got wider as he considered the possibility of himself, having cooties.

"Now that I'm done with homework," she continued. "What do you say to playing with me?"

'What game?" Robbie asked suspiciously. She tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Do you like puzzles?"

Robbie shrugged, and she immediately skipped into her room to fetch one of the simpler jigsaw puzzles she still owned.

Robbie wiggled out of the bed and hung over the edge until his toes came into contact with the floor, then dropped down. He spotted Sportacus and grinned widely, dashing over.

Sportacus felt his heart melt again as Robbie hugged his legs, genuine affection splashed across his face. The sports elf had a soft spot for kids, and an even bigger soft spot for Robbie. To have both combined was almost too much.

"Alright!" Stephanie proclaimed, laying a box down on the floor and sitting cross-legged next to it. Robbie blinked curiously and let go of Sportacus in favor of looking closer. He kneeled down next to Stephanie and watched as she spilled the few pieces of the puzzle out onto the floor and explained what to do with them. He nodded and participated happily once Stephanie asked him to sort the pieces out.

* * *

The next couple of hours were spent peacefully, interrupted only by Stephanie instructing Robbie on which pieces to find next. He was pretty good at it, for being four years old, and as long as Stephanie gave him simple instructions like finding the blue colored pieces, or the pieces with straight sides.

"Alright Stephanie, get ready for bed time!"

"Awww! Come on, I'm eleven years old! This is way too early!"

"What are you trying to say?" Sportacus interrupted, hands on hips and eyebrow raised in a gesture of teasing disbelief. "Are you trying to say only _little_ kids go to bed at 8:08?"

Robbie immediately perked up at that, despite having nearly been unconscious not five seconds before.

"M'not a little kid!" he chirped. Sportacus bit back a groan.

"Steph, _I_ go to bed at 8:08. It gives you energy! You want to be sleepy all day long tomorrow?"

She sighed and trudged to her room.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth," he called after her. Her response was a typical preteen zombie-like groan of despair.

"Now," he said, turning to Robbie, who was trying to suppress a wide yawn. "Where do you want to sleep Robbie?" Robbie stuck his tongue out.

"Not sleepy," he muttered. Sportacus considered attempting to persuade the boy that bedtimes really were good for him... but truthfully, he was getting tired himself. An idea flashed through his head. Robbie still needed a bath from the events of the day.

"Alright, well, you need a bath anyway. Come on," he grabbed the sleepy toddler by the hand and led him into the bathroom.

He used to only have a shower. But as a birthday present for Stephanie, he had a bath tub installed. She loved it, and frequently locked him out of the bathroom for hours while soaking. Which was a pain at times, having only one bathroom, but... he took the good with the bad in those cases.

He turned the tap on and plugged the tub, letting it fill with warm water. He tested it with his hand up to the wrist. Perfect. He turned back to Robbie, who looked mildly more awake than before, rubbing his eyes with tiny fists. Sportacus smiled.

"Okay little one," he told Robbie. "Time for a bath." Robbie looked at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, until Sportacus pulled off the youngster's shirt. At that point Robbie went limp, suspiciously compliant. Sportacus ignored it, depositing his small charge into the tub after the last of his clothing was removed. He suddenly wished he had some sort of bath toy to distract the boy. He grabbed a washcloth and a bar of soap. He sniffed it. Lavender. Good.

"Robbie?" he started cautiously. The boy didn't look at him. "I'm going to wash you now. If you feel bad, tell me, and I'll stop. Alright?" All he got was a slight nod, so he got the cloth wet and rubbed the soap over it, working it up to a lather. He put the soapy cloth between the boy's bony shoulders and paused at the violent flinch. He started humming.

At first, he wasn't sure what he was humming. It was jut noise, so Robbie might relax or be distracted. But after awhile, washing Robbie's shoulders and back and arms, he realized it was a song his mother used to sing. "To put stubborn little children to bed on time" she said. Sportacus smiled slightly at the memory, feeling a small pang of homesickness.

"Okay, we have to wash your hair now... relax..." he said calmly to Robbie, one hand on his back and the other leaning him backwards until his hair was in the water and sufficiently wet, then bringing him back up. Robbie was surprisingly compliant, and Sportacus didn't know whether it stemmed from exhaustion or something else. He grabbed a separate bar of shampoo soap and lathered it into Robbie's curly hair gently. Robbie sighed, his head nodding. At least he was at peace enough to nearly fall asleep, Sportacus thought.

Soon, all of Robbie Rotten was clean, and Sportacus lifted him out and into a towel, draining the tub. Robbie shivered, clutching the large towel to himself and using part of it to rub his hair dry.

"Do you want help?" Sportacus offered cautiously. Robbie made a face.

"No," he mumbled. "Do it myself." Sportacus laughed a little at that, but offered Robbie a set of pajamas that he had borrowed from one of the children.

After all the cleaning up was done and the four year old ready for bed, they were both nearly dead on their feet. Sportacus automatically set the boy on his own bed, tucking him in. He moved over to the cabinet and pulled out another duvet and a blanket and pillow, setting up a makeshift bed on the floor next to the hovering bed. He yawned widely, settling in and closing his eyes. He didn't wake up when a small form crawled out of the bed, dragging the duvet with him, and squirmed his way into the makeshift bed next to Sportacus, clumsily pulling the additional duvet over himself and the sports elf, in his own messy childish way.

Both were soundly unconscious for the rest of the night.

* * *

AN:

FINALLY. FF finally decides to let me upload. About time. Guh.

And wow, 5 reviews for chapter one alone? You guys are seriously gonna spoil me.

The next chapter starts the ordeal with a teenage Robbie. There's entrely too much crying in this fic. Ugh.

Hmm. In this chapter, Stephanie is starting to notice something off about Robbie. But she probably won't find anything out. Robbie is clinging to Sportacus because subconsciously, he probably recognizes Sportacus as safe, even if those memories are all buried. Pixel is busy trying to figure out what the heck Robbie did to himself and fix it, and Sportacus is trying to deal with one thing at a time and get through everything alright.

Thanks for all the awesome reviews guys! I love ya!


	3. Caramel Sauce

**Capter 3: Caramel Sauce**

"There's nothing else you can do?" he asked. Pixel shook his head.

"This is about it," he replied, holding up the patched together device. "I doubt even Robbie knew what he was doing. But it'll _work_, just... in two doses." The scattered pieces of the machine they salvaged from Robbie's house were put together as best as Pixel knew how. The entire concept was mind-boggling, but he had eventually managed to convert the separate pieces into a large firing-ray type of device. But it wasn't meant for big jumps- the limited battery wouldn't allow it, and it couldn't be fitted to take energy any other way. Sportacus sighed.

"I guess we'll have to just deal with it then. Stephanie!"

Stephanie stepped into the room, guiding Robbie in by the hand. Robbie's eyes widened in awe at all the machinery strewn about Pixel's room, and Stephanie had to keep a tight hold on his hand to keep him from touching it all. Sportacus kneeled in front of him and got his attention.

"We're going to play a game Robbie," he started. Robbie squealed happily, jumping up and down.

"Like the tag game?" he chirped happily. Sportacus smiled a little.

"Sort of. Like... tag, with a flashlight."

Robbie gasped with delight.

"But first, we want to make sure it works, okay? So I need you to stand over there and stay very still when we shine the flashlight on you. Can you do that?"

Robbie nodded, eager to please, and scampered over to the cleared spot in the room.

"Ready!" he called happily.

"Ready Pixel?" Sportacus asked. Pixel nodded, and aimed the device for the boy on the other side of the room.

"Remember Robbie, stay still!"

"Kay!"

Pixel pressed the button, and the machine flashed brilliantly before shooting out a beam of light and hitting Robbie square in the chest. The light flared, and temporarily blinded everyone in the room. After a moment, in cleared, and Sportacus hurriedly leaped over to where Robbie was.

He took in the shredded clothes and considered, for a moment, that perhaps he should have been fitted in larger ones beforehand... but it was too late. He looked down at Robbie, bit his lip slightly, and wondered if he had any old clothes that would fit him. Stephanie and Pixel wandered over after Pixel had plugged the machine in to recharge for another two days. Stephanie peered around Sportacus.

'Wow," she breathed. "He's kinda cute." She giggled at the strangled sound Pixel made and reached out for his hand to show she was just teasing. Sportacus abruptly realized that when Robbie woke up, he wasn't likely to be as friendly and trusting as the previous state had been.

He cringed inwardly. Dealing with an angry teenage boy was _not_ going to be fun.

* * *

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

Stephanie jumped at the yell from the other room, grabbing Pixel's hand instinctively. Sportacus had ushered them both out of the room when Robbie started waking up, and locked the door behind them.

Meanwhile, Sportacus was dodging blows.

"Calm down!" he tried to reason with Robbie, but he was having none of it, and coming at the sports elf like he was possessed. Sportacus was sorely tempted to just pin the gangly teenager, but it was simple enough to dodge the punches without retaliating, and as he suspected, the thin boy became exhausted rather quickly. Stamina was never Robbie's friend.

"All better now?" he asked, watching Robbie lean against the wall and pant. Robbie sneered at him.

"Bastard," he hissed. Sportacus shook his head.

"Look Robbie," he started.

"How the hell do you know my name?" Robbie interrupted. Sportacus made a face that clearly said he was getting frustrated, but restrained himself.

"Believe it or not, because I know you."

"Stalker," Robbie accused.

"No, actually. I'm more of a... friend you don't remember."

"Stalker," he asserted again. Sportacus rolled his eyes.

"Listen," he said finally. "And I mean listen. There was an accident. And I found you... but now we're trying to fix things, so you're gonna have to trust me, alright?"

Robbie glared at him.

"Why should I?"

"Because you're my responsibility," he replied. Robbie's eyes widened.

"Did someone actually buy me from that sick fuck?"

Sportacus felt his eye twitch.

"I didn't... _buy_ you." Just saying it made him shudder. Robbie eyed him suspiciously, and Sportacus couldn't help but think he had the look of a wild animal that was considering whether or not to bite or run. Typical, for Robbie.

"But trust me. I'm looking after you now. You and a little girl named Stephanie. You'll meet her in a minute."

"Ahh," Robbie said. "So I'm in a sort of foster home thing. Alright. Cool." Sportacus shrugged. Whatever was easiest. Less than five minutes of dealing with him was already giving the elf a very uncharacteristic headache.

"Some rules though," Sportacus interrupted. Robbie huffed, crossing his arms in front of him and leaning back in what he thought was a very "bad boy" tough look. To Sportacus, he looked rather pouty.

"Figures," Robbie muttered. Sportacus ignored it and continued.

"When we get to the... erm, the place where we'll be staying, you have to keep your hands to yourself. No messing with equipment, no destroying stuff, no trying to rewire anything."

Robbie nodded and flapped his hand, signaling for Sportacus to continue.

"And be nice to Stephanie. Just, in general, behave. Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Can I get some clothes?"

"Sure," Sportacus said, and handed over Robbie's adult clothes. They wouldn't really fit, but they'd have to do. Apparently Robbie didn't reach his full height until he was a little older- this Robbie was only about 5'7".

"What the hell is this?"

Sportacus sighed.

"Either wear it or go out half naked. I don't care."

"This is ridiculous," Robbie muttered, pulling the clothes on furiously. "What moron designed this thing? I'm not wearing the stupid little vest thing."

"That's fine," Sportacus said, trying very hard to not laugh. When he was finished dressing, Sportacus mused that he did look a lot like the Robbie he knew. Paler, not as tall, and with a darker look, but vaguely the same. Robbie abruptly ripped the few inches of extra material off of the pant legs, and Sportacus cringed slightly. That wasn't going to go over well once everything was back to normal...

"Alright," he sighed. "Come on then. We better get you set up for the next couple of days."

* * *

"Just what the hell _are_ you anyway?" Robbie asked, one eyebrow raised at Sportacus skeptically. They were in the air ship.

"He's an elf," Stephanie replied before Sportacus could stop her. The sports elf groaned and Robbie opened his mouth.

"That's the _stupidest_ thing I've ever-"

"Who's hungry?"

Robbie glared at the sports elf for interrupting him, but Stephanie bounded over to the table and waited for her lunch. Sportacus looked at Robbie questioningly, but Robbie huffed and sneered at him.

"Not hungry," he replied. "And I don't do the 'family meal' thing."

"That's kind of sad," Sportacus commented, but he shrugged. "Have it your way."

Robbie glared venomously at the pink haired girl who was shooting him a look of sympathy, and he sulked over away from them. This was stupid. No one ever gave him anything for free. He didn't doubt he would be paying later for sleeping in this blimp they called a house, but he'd be damned if he was going to add food to the bill. He'd just eat when they weren't watching.

He watched from a distance as Sportacus prepared food with his usual flair, and then both him and Stephanie chowed down happily, Stephanie babbling on about something at school in between bites. Robbie scowled. Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. Like an old family sitcom they played late at night. Everyone was happy and dumb and without a care in the world.

He knew better. And he tried to tell that to the ache that sprang up somewhere in his chest, but in the end he settled for thinking about other things.

Stephanie watched him curiously. He was rude and obviously a lot angrier than the Robbie she was used to. But, maybe he liked the same things. He was the same person after all, just without so many memories. After all, even when Sportacus had _all_ of his memories erased, he was still Sportacus. She finished her lunch and dashed into her room, pulling out a puzzle box and carrying it back out again. She sat down in front of Robbie and opened the box, spreading the pieces out on the floor in much the same way as she had just the other day with the nicer and cuter younger Robbie.

Sportacus watched over the whole affair cautiously. It's not that he didn't love Robbie, no matter what state he was in... it was more that he didn't know this one, and wasn't inclined to trust him not to do something stupid.

Robbie eyed the puzzle and the girl.

"What are you doing?" he asked. She looked up and smiled slightly.

"Putting together a puzzle. Wanna help?"

"No," he answered shortly.

"It's not like there's a lot to do up here you know. Unless you want to join Sportacus in exercising." she replied calmly, sorting pieces into groups. He considered her for a moment, frowning.

"You're doing it wrong," he said finally, pushing her hands away from the puzzle. "You're supposed to do the edges first. Everyone knows that." He started sorting out all the straight-edged pieces and she pretended to be amazed at how fast it was coming together.

Sportacus watched, hanging upside down and brushing his teeth. On one hand, he was proud at how quickly Stephanie was growing up and maturing. She really was a smart little girl, even if sometimes that same cleverness worried him. But then, the scene also worried him slightly as well. Robbie was stuck, somewhere, on the maturity scale. Not that he was one to talk, he thought, swinging down and tossing the toothbrush back into its hole. He knew very well he acted like a little kid or a puppy, as Robbie delighted in reminding him of this every chance he got.

But even he was more mature than Robbie was, and it was mildly worrying. His progress had apparently been halted at some point, whereas Sportacus merely enjoyed all the positive aspects of childhood, like innocence and trust.

He sighed, scratching his head. There was nothing to be done about it, so there wasn't a point in worrying... still though, he wished he could fix it. He stepped into the bathroom for a quick shower while the two of them were occupied. Summers in Lazy Town were brutal for him, and he had already developed a layer of sweat over his skin just from his regular exercises. It was a very good thing he kept hydrated.

Robbie didn't notice Sportacus had left until he came back into the room wearing only pants and a towel around his neck, pressing a wall sensor that revealed a new set of clothes. Robbie looked up from the puzzle at the sound, and studied him.

Stephanie squeaked in surprise as Robbie bolted up and was abruptly at Sportacus' side, tugging on his ears.

"HEY!" the sports elf protested, trying to pry Robbie's fingers off.

"You _are_ an elf? Well shit!"

"Let go already!"

"Hold still! I just wanna see!"

"Robbie!" Stephanie protested, tugging on his shirt. "Let him go!"

"No way! This is cool!"

"I told you to keep your hands to yourself!" Sportacus finally yelped. Robbie reluctantly let go, and Sportacus rubbed his ear, frowning. Stephanie punched Robbie's arm slightly.

"Just because his ears are cool doesn't give you permission to man-handle them!" Robbie wasn't paying attention to her, but instead leaning in very close and examining them visually.

"I've never seen an elf before," he murmured, entranced suddenly with the way the sports elf's wet blonde hair curled slightly around the tip of an ear. Sportacus looked at him, irritated, when he caught the look of wonder Robbie was regarding him with. He stopped.

Robbie was looking at him with wide eyes from under a curtain of black hair. Sportacus could see, minutely, the strands that swayed when he exhaled. He suddenly wanted very much for Robbie to be back to normal.

"Yeah, well," he said finally, grabbing his clothes and pulling the rest of them on. He was fitting the hat over his head when Robbie abruptly snatched it.

"Hey!" Sportacus protested. "Robbie, give it back!"

"No," he said, grinning impishly and holding it behind his back. "I want to see your ears."

"Are they _really_ that fascinating?"

"Yes," Stephanie replied for him. Robbie grinned wider, gleeful at having a partner. But just as quickly, the grin disappeared as Stephanie snatched the hat from him and handed it back to Sportacus.

"Judas," he hissed at her. She stuck her tongue out and went back over to the puzzle.

* * *

Sportacus yawned, blinking his eyes open. It was the middle of the night. What was?... was that his crystal? He sat up, and the crystal stopped. Rubbing his eyes, he wondered what was wrong, looking around for Robbie automatically. He sighed slightly when he spotted him.

He was balled up next to the food, trying to get the table to come out. He punched the wall, then cursed under his breath and whimpered, cradling his hand. Sportacus rolled out of bed silently and padded over to him, equally silent. He crouched down next to him.

"Having trouble?" he whispered. Robbie started to squeal in fright, but slapped a hand over his mouth automatically, silencing it. He was frozen in wide-eyed terror for a moment before he regained his composure and glared venomously at the smirking elf.

"No," he whispered back. His stomach growled, and he clenched his fists. Sportacus regarded him solemnly for a moment before sighing and leaning back, pressing a hand against the appropriate button. The table slid smoothly out and Robbie scrambled to get out of its way. As soon as it stopped, Robbie made to grab one of the sports candy suspended in the dispensers, but it was stuck. He grunted, digging his fingers in and pulling, then attempting to pull the separators apart. Sportacus grabbed his hands before he could damage the equipment.

"Orange," he said quietly, and an orange shot out of it. Sportacus caught it in mid-air and handed it to Robbie, who snatched it and tore the peel off, devouring it much like a wild animal might. Sportacus watched curiously.

"What are you doing up so late?" he asked. Robbie looked up at him through the hair falling in front of his eyes, still sucking the juice out of the orange. He licked his lips and straightened up.

"None of your business. Why do you care?"

"I already told you, you're my responsibility," he replied. Robbie snorted, scraping the remaining pulp from the rind. Sportacus summoned an apple, and Robbie looked at it in his outstretched hand suspiciously before snatching it and taking huge bites.

"What're you getting out of it anyway?" Robbie asked between bites. Sportacus looked at him, confused.

"Getting out of it?"

"Don't play dumb. This isn't a foster home or anything. You're not that kid's dad or uncle or even human. So what're you doing?"

"Ah," Sportacus leaned back slightly, understanding. "I'm the town hero."

"Figures," Robbie muttered. "The hero comes _now_."

"Would you liked me to have come sooner?" he answered casually, though knowing he was traveling into dangerous territory.

He was reminded that this was dangerous territory that belonged to an equally dangerous animal when Robbie looked up at him sharply, muscles tense.

"You know more than you let on, elf."

"True," Sportacus murmured, yawning. How late was it, anyway? "That's generally what heroes are like, isn't it?"

"No," Robbie answered just as easily, gnawing the last of the edible pieces off of the apple. "Heroes are pretentious pricks who go around pretending to know what's right and pretending to know everything. They act like they're _so_ great." Robbie looked at him directly, as if his gaze could pierce something and pin him to the spot. Sportacus gazed back, unaffected.

"But heroes don't know anything. And they're not great at all. They don't know _anything_."

Sportacus recognized easily the signs of Robbie whipping himself into a fit. He rested back on his hands and merely looked at Robbie patiently.

"I've seen heroes, you know," Robbie started, eyeing Sportacus in a way that suggested he was looking for a weakness. Sportacus gave him none, and he continued.

"I saw him once. He was annoying. But I was just a stupid little kid. He looked cool back then. I was just a little kid. There were a bunch of us, you know? He smiled and laughed like everything was bright and sunny all the time. He rescued us. I looked right into his eyes, you know. I remember, even way back then, I looked into his eyes and begged that he'd be able to hear me. But he _didn't_."

Sportacus felt something burn behind his eyes, but he kept it back. He stared straight back into Robbie's gray eyes.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you." he said simply, calmly. Sincerely.

Robbie snapped.

"YOU'RE _SORRY_?!" Robbie raged, his eyes wild. He lunged at Sportacus, but the sports elf didn't move. Robbie beat at his shoulders and arms and chest, screaming.

"I HATE YOU! WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE SAVED ME?! WHAT KIND OF HERO DOESN'T SAVE LITTLE KIDS?! WHY DIDN'T YOU _HEAR_ ME? I HATE YOU! I HATE _EVERYONE_!"

At some point Robbie's voice had cracked, and hiccups mauled the words as they poured out of his mouth to compliment the threatening flood in his eyes. The blows against the sports elf grew weaker, and shook. Sportacus slowly embraced the trembling teen, holding him close.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Robbie sobbed loudly, his face pressed against the elf's collar.

"If I could go back in time," he continued softly, not moving beyond holding Robbie gently against him. "I'd save you. I'd save you from everything Robbie, I promise. I wish I could. I wish I could go back in time and find you and take you somewhere you'd be happy and safe and no one could ever hurt you again. But I can't. I'm so sorry."

Robbie cried against him for some time, feeling raw. Everything hurt.

"W-where?" he hiccupped, his eyes firmly closed and his face still hidden against the sports elf. Sportacus thought for a moment.

"This sounds selfish," he said finally. "But... I was a little kid too back then. I'd like to think we could have been friends. I definitely would have made sure you were safe and happy."

Robbie shivered, his tears slowly drying up. He felt empty.

"Though," Sportacus continued quietly. "You may have been a little cold there. It's pretty far north where I grew up." Robbie tried to sniffle quietly.

"What..." his voice was scratchy from abuse. "What were you like?" Sportacus smiled.

"Mischievous. I dare say we would have made quite the pair."

Robbie laughed weakly, feeling exhausted.

"That... that actually sounds kinda nice..."

Sportacus continued talking, sensing Robbie's impending slumber.

"My mother would have stuffed you full of food constantly and said you were far too skinny. My father would have probably insisted that we both be tied to a chair, because I'm certain we would have gotten into so much trouble... I was pretty adventurous as a kid, and you, little darkling, would have been dragged along on every one of them. You'd be the talk of the village I bet."

Robbie hummed in acknowledgement, his breathing getting deeper.

"Everyone probably would have spoiled you. I'm sure they'd call you a cute little darkling because of your hair. Everyone would want to be your friend. Humans are pretty scarce in the area I grew up, so you would have been special. Everyone would love you and take care of you. You would have been part of us."

He looked down at the sleeping Robbie, smiling sadly. He ran a hand through the long black hair, then gently picked him up and deposited him in the bed, tucking him in carefully and leaning over, kissing his forehead.

"Sweet dreams, my darkling."

He arranged the duvet and blankets on the floor into a bed again, laying down in it and inhaling Robbie's scent. He was soon fast asleep.

* * *

AN:

Not my best work. I know. Geh.

When Robbie mentions having met a hero before, it's not necessarily Nine. It could be... but I never really specify it, because it's not that important.

"Darkling" is because of Robbie's hair and attitude. His hair mostly. I find it fun to imagine Robbie in a village full of elves. He'd stand out so much! And he'd probably be doted on. It's a cute idea, but not one I'm likely to develop.

Robbie seems to be partial to fits of hysteria. I just noticed this. Hm. I need to write him more stable one of these days.

Thanks for the reviews guys!


	4. Whipped Cream

**Chapter 4: Whipped Cream**

Robbie woke up to the smell of sizzling bacon. He rubbed his eyes silently and slowly opened them, adjusting to the bright light. He shifted, and the rest of the room came into view.

The pink girl was at the food table, using a heated circle on it and a pan to fry bacon. The blue elf was standing some distance away, alternating between doing stretches and staring heatedly at the frying bacon. Stephanie glanced up and saw the mop of dark hair peeking out from the duvet.

"Good morning," she said. "Want some bacon?"

"Stephanie, I don't think-" Sportacus interrupted. Stephanie whirled around, one hand on her hip.

"Shush! There's nothing wrong with bacon, you big baby!"

"There is so!" Sportacus argued. "Look at it! It's..." He was about to describe it, frying there in its bodily juices derived from grease and fat and high amounts of salt... but the very thought was making him ill.

"I'm going out for air," he murmured, and ran for the door. Stephanie sighed and flipped the bacon over as Robbie crawled out of the bed. He checked himself over for any suspicious marks, or soreness. None. He wandered over to the food and Stephanie smiled at him.

Were smiles supposed to make his heart do that? How weird.

"Almost done," she said. Robbie watched her.

"You're cute," he said, the words spilling out of his mouth. "Like an angel. Or a... a fairy."

Stephanie blushed under the blatant compliment, but maintained her good humor.

"Human, really," she answered, and turned off the heating panel, dumping bacon onto a plate. "But you can call me a pixie if you like. It's my nickname."

"A pink pixie," he murmured. She giggled.

"Yeah," she answered. She turned toward the door. "You can come back in now! It's done cooking!"

"It smells like burnt meat!" came the yelled reply. "I'm waiting out here!"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and grabbed a few pieces of sports candy, carrying them outside to the door platform where Sportacus was standing.

Robbie watched her, his head titled slightly. She was definitely cute. He'd flirt with her, if he wasn't certain that the elf would have a coronary and kick him out. That and for some reason he was getting the vibe from her that she was more interested in him in the way little girls are interested in playing mommy to abandoned puppies. He sighed, and gnawed on a strip of bacon. Still warm.

She came back inside and grabbed a piece of toast, eating it while humming some happy little melody.

"Um... what song is that?" he ventured. She smiled at him again and he almost wished she would stop doing it, because his heart felt odd whenever she did.

"It's a pirate song. Want to hear?"

He nodded, and she started singing it as best she could. He listened for a minute before the first image slammed into him and he shrank back. She immediately paused, looking at him with concern.

"Robbie? Are you alright?" she asked. He nodded shakily.

"What happened?"

He shivered, and offered her a weak smile. A little pink angel-pixie shouldn't be worrying about him.

"Nothing. I just thought of something odd. I don't ever remember playing pirates."

She eyed him carefully for a minute while he nibbled on some eggs. Sportacus came in shortly afterwards, lured by the singing and relieved that most of the bacon smell was gone. He'd have to let the ship air out.

"What song was that Stephanie?" he inquired, tossing the fruit peels into the wall receptacle.

"The pirate song!" she chirped. Robbie felt his face heat up. Why was this kid so cute? She sounded like a song bird.

"I don't remember that song," Sportacus mused, grabbing a bottle of water.

"That's because we sang it with Ro-" she cut herself off abruptly and Robbie's eyes snapped from the edge of the table he had been staring at, to her face. Her eyes were wide for a split second before she tried to cover it with a laugh.

Too late.

"With who?" Robbie asked flatly. Stephanie hummed before making a quick save.

"With Roderick." she answered. "One of my friends. He moved away awhile ago." To her dismay, Robbie didn't stop staring directly at her. She shivered. The way his eyes were, it seemed like he was looking right through her.

"How come I remember you in a pirate costume?" he said again. Sportacus moved forward, but Robbie noticed it immediately and flinched away.

"I want to know what's going on," Robbie continued. "I remember that song. I remember acting like a pirate." He narrowed his eyes. "I remember that it was something important. I was... I was leading a bunch of stupid kids on a treasure hunt. Fake treasure."

"A stone," Stephanie whispered. Sportacus shot her a hard look and she glanced up apologetically.

"It's probably nothing," Sportacus said, placing a hand on Robbie's shoulder. He ignored the obvious flinch. "After breakfast, what do you want to do? We have all day."

"Sleep," came the reply.

"How about I show you around town instead? There's not much to see, so it won't take very long. You can sleep afterwards if you want."

Robbie regarded him carefully.

"And if I let you drag me around, we'll be even with you letting me stay here and eat?" Sportacus blinked, confused.

"Sure, I guess," he conceded. He glanced at Robbie's plate and frowned. It had been awhile since he was a teenager, but didn't teenage boys eat a lot more? It was Robbie he was dealing with, but the way Robbie was picking at his food was almost unnatural. Even as an adult he ate more than that.

He also ate with far more mess, but that wasn't the issue.

"But it's going to be a long day," he added, and slapped three more pieces of toast, some sports candy, and managed to pile more eggs onto the plate. "So you'll definitely need your strength!" He grinned and flipped away to brush his teeth, and Robbie scowled darkly at the small mountain of food.

"My stomach can't hold that much," he muttered. Stephanie tilted her head in thought.

"Sportacus probably could eat all of that." she said airily, and wandered off to wash her face after breakfast.

Robbie glared harder and started shoveling it into his mouth with determination.

* * *

"That over there, that's the town hall..."

Sportacus rattled off the names of various places while they walked (Sportacus jumped on things and generally acted in the same manner of an acrobatic squirrel, as opposed to walking normally) and Robbie listened. Half-listened, anyway. He was thinking. Sportacus finally noticed and paused, perched on the edge of a bench.

"What are you thinking about?" he inquired. Robbie startled, shaking himself out of his thoughts.

"Oh... um nothing."

Sportacus looked at him knowingly.

"Well, I think it's a good time for a break anyway," he said, motioning to the free space on the bench. Robbie sat on it, staring at nothing in particular in the distance.

"It's really quiet here," he murmured. Sportacus hummed an affirmative.

"When the kids aren't out playing," he added in. Even he had to admit that.

"Mm. It's nice." Robbie paused. "That little kids can play, I mean. It's a really small town." There was an amiable silence, filled with birds chirping in trees, and the somewhat distant sound of Bessie talking on the phone. It was the only time Robbie could remember clearly that any place seemed safe.

"This..." he started. "This reminds me of my mom."

Sportacus waited patiently, though he wanted to extract all the information from Robbie. He had never once heard about the man's parents, and almost assumed that perhaps Robbie couldn't remember them himself, or was kidnapped at such a young age... He stayed quiet and waited.

"Everything was really quiet," Robbie continued, his voice dying down to a whisper. "I remember. She was so nice. I remember everything feeling soft and safe."

Sportacus wondered what exactly he should do when he noticed the collected tears in Robbie's eyes.

"I miss her," Robbie finally admitted, as he lowered his head, hair shielding the rest of his face from view. Sportacus leaned back slightly. He'd normally embrace Robbie and hold him until they both felt better. But this Robbie wasn't likely to let him. The sports elf adjusted his goggles slightly.

"My mother was very... what's the word... practical." Sportacus ventured. Robbie didn't say anything, so he continued. "When I was little, she would always be doing something. Even though, there wasn't that much to do... we hardly ever cook, there isn't much to clean, I didn't have any brothers or sisters... though, I guess I was too much of a handful to do much else anyway."

Sportacus smiled at the strangled laugh that came out of Robbie, and kept going.

"I'm probably the one that kept her so busy. There wasn't two days that would pass by where I didn't come home covered and dripping with mud. Sometimes with a new pet in tow. Or else I would have gotten in trouble with a prank, and she devoted all her time to keeping me out of trouble... that's a possibility too."

He paused.

"But I remember how much she took care of me too. I was always scraping something, and she'd always kiss it and make it feel better."

He sighed, resting back against the bench.

"I think everyone misses their childhood like that."

Robbie didn't look up, but he wasn't crying now.

"What was your dad like?"

Sportacus smiled at the question.

"My dad taught me everything I know," he replied easily. Robbie laughed shortly.

"My dad stopped feeding me," he answered. Sportacus felt his heart drop, but endeavored to keep it from showing. Yet another reason for the small size of the younger Robbie.

"After mom died, he couldn't pull it together," Robbie went on, sounding remarkably calm. "I think I lived on scraps from the fridge. It's hard to remember. I was really small."

Robbie looked up then, his eyes unfocused and looking off into the distance. Sportacus swallowed heavily. He hadn't seen that look in a long time.

"You know what's sad? I mean, he never took care of me... I was probably a mess when... when I left, and the only reason my growth didn't get stunted was because that bastard fed me decently, and my dad probably didn't even notice I was gone, or didn't care..." Robbie laughed again. "It's pathetic," he decided. "That I miss him too."

He didn't flinch when the elf drew him closer or wrapped his muscled arms around him. He felt a tightening in his chest that warned him, "you're going to start crying again," and he viciously pushed it back. He was really tired of crying.

"Hey," he ventured, his voice rough from unshed tears. "Do you really think they would have liked me? Your mom and dad."

Sportacus nuzzled the top of his head.

"They would have loved you," he answered. "And everyone else would have too." Robbie sighed.

"Do you think I could stay here?" he asked quietly. Sportacus paused. The younger Robbie had asked that too. Well, not so much asked... he had more bawled it out that he wanted to stay.

Sportacus had to keep reminding himself that these weren't Robbie from the past. These were Robbie with amnesia. Nothing he said or did now would affect Robbie's past.

"You can stay," he answered. He felt the teenager relax fully. There was a minute of silence before Sportacus interrupted.

"Do you like sports?"

* * *

AN:

Wheeeee. Only one more chapter after this. Then I think I might start posting the proper sequel to PBBS. Maybe. I haven't decided.

Sportacus and his aversion to bacon amuses me. Probably because, as a college student, I am bacon deprived, and craving it to badly that my mouth starts watering. YES, I have a fixation with food. I know this.

Robbie has a sort-of-almost crush on Stephanie in this chapter. Not necessarily a romantic crush, but a sort of attraction based on how light and happy she is. Also because the buried memories of the younger Robbie probably remember her as a playmate or older sister. Regardless, it's the kind of affection a male friend might feel toward a girl he hangs out with often enough. If, for example, Stephanie started flirting with him, he'd probably have a breakdown fighting with himself over how to respond. He doesn't really like her in that sense, but he's a teenage boy here. He's going to consider the possibility. He hasn't thought about Sportacus, because he doesn't trust other men to any degree. Except for at the end there. At that point he trusts Sportacus a little more.

Yeah. Robbie had a crappy childhood. He tries to not think about it a lot.


	5. Coconut

**Chapter 5: Coconut**

By the end of the day, Sportacus had managed to wrench five smiles from the reluctant teenager. He kept count, and guarded each one jealously. No matter how much time passed, he swore to remember each and every one. But by the end of the day, Pixel contacted him.

The scrapped together machine was finished recharging.

Robbie lounged on the couch, his head propped up on one fist in a bored manner.

"How long is this going to take?" he asked, watching the television from the corner of his eye.

"Just a minute," Pixel answered automatically. "It's warming up. The scan'll be commencing in a minute."

Robbie rolled his eyes.

"Why do I have to do this again?"

"Because," Sportacus interrupted. "It's like a... a health scan. To make sure you're healthy." Robbie looked at him skeptically for a moment before shrugging his shoulders impetuously.

"Whatever. Fire when ready, captain."

"Alright!" Pixel crowed, aiming the device at Robbie's form on the couch. "Just stay still Robbie."

"Get on with it! I'm bored," he snapped. Sportacus took Stephanie by the shoulders and stepped backwards away from Robbie just as Pixel fired. Like before, there was a blinding flash of light, but this time Sportacus had closed his eyes in time and the next instant opened them, rushing over to Robbie when the ray stopped.

He nearly collapsed in relief. Robbie looked his proper age.

He kneeled down next to Robbie when the man groaned, waking up rather quickly. Stephanie grabbed Pixel by the arm and dragged him out of the room, the door shutting behind them.

"Robbie?" he asked, nudging the man's shoulder. Robbie groaned again and opened his eyes slowly. Sportacus nearly vibrated with anxiety.

"Are you alright? Do you remember everything? Robbie?"

"Shut uuuuup," Robbie moaned. "Why do you _talk_ so much?" He opened his gray eyes and focused on Sportacus. "Nice to see you too. I'm getting you back for that sugar free ice cream crap."

He was immediately smothered by a muscular sports elf squeezing the air out of his lungs.

"Needtobreathe." he said shortly. Sportacus loosened his grip, but didn't let go, and Robbie didn't even try to struggle. He knew by now that when the elf wanted to cling to him, there was nothing he could do about it. He took it.

"It's not that bad," Robbie started. "There was a good chance I would remember everything on my own, even if I _was_ in a four year old body, and I could've fixed it on my own in that case. I don't see what you're so shaken up about."

"I am _never_ letting you out of my sight again," Sportacus muttered, face hidden against the man's chest. Robbie paled slightly. The elf probably meant that.

"As flattering as that is, I'm going to have to decli-"

"ROBBIE!" a girlish voice squealed from the doorway. He was abruptly pounced on, and the air knocked out of him.

'Great,' he thought as he tried to absorb precious oxygen again. 'An elf on one side and a pixie on the other. I'm so screwed.'

"Don't _ever_ scare us like that again!" she chastised, glaring up at him. "What if we couldn't have gotten you back to normal?"

Sportacus tightened his grip again, unconsciously, and Robbie yelped.

"Actually, I was just saying, that wouldn't have happened, so there's no use in-"

"You _were_ pretty cute as a little kid though," she giggled suddenly, cutting him off. He growled at her, but it only made her laugh harder. Sportacus finally looked up.

"Stephanie," he said. "How about you and Pixel take that machine outside and dismantle it?"

"_What?!_" Robbie screeched. Stephanie leapt up, and she and Pixel carried the device outside. "Wait just a minute!" Robbie protested, thrashing. "You can't just go and destroy it! That took me _hours_-"

Was it his imagination or was Sportacus pulling him slowly off of the couch? He paused. Yes, that was definitely-

Abruptly, he slid off and into the sports elf's lap, still trapped by the elf's muscled arms. He huffed indignantly.

"I'm not going anywhere you know," he muttered. Sportacus responded to this by drawing him closer and nuzzling his neck.

"_You_ were gone for five days," he replied. Robbie fidgeted.

"Well, technically-"

"Five days." Sportacus interrupted. "Don't do that again."

Robbie paused. Had the sports elf really been worried about him the whole time? He remembered everything that happened, but... he had been smiling at least most of the time. Was that an act? Robbie suddenly felt almost guilty, and relaxed.

"Sorry," he muttered. Sportacus didn't say anything, but kissed his ear lightly and made him shiver. Robbie glanced back at him.

"Don't tell me you only missed me because of the sex," he teased. Sportacus grinned at him, and it felt like something bright lit up the room.

"That and your biting wit," Sportacus replied, teasing back.

"Well, as long as it wasn't just the sex..."

"Mm," Sportacus murmured. "I love you no matter what Robbie. But I missed the you that remembered you love me back."

Robbie blushed and fidgeted.

"Yeah, well... near the end there you were kind of winning me over anyway." he muttered. Sportacus grinned again.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Robbie snapped. "If I didn't trust you, I'd say you use elf magic to make everyone like you. As it is, you must just be charismatic."

"Orrrr maybe you just love me anyway," Sportacus quipped, and kissed his neck affectionately. Robbie shivered.

"Poodle probably has cameras everywhere in here," he mused. Sportacus immediately stopped, and Robbie grinned in victory. Until he heard the sound of smashing machinery from outside. He attempted to lunge at the door and stop them, but Sportacus rather easily caught him around the waist and pulled him back down.

"Nope," the sports elf said. "You're staying here."

"But my invention!" Robbie whined, straining against his captor in vain.

"Is better off not ever seeing the light of day again," Sportacus finished. Robbie slumped, defeated.

"You're mean, you know that?" he muttered.

"I'll say it's revenge for all the abuse I went through when you were a teenager for awhile. I think I might have bruised..."

"You liar," Robbie tried to not smile, but was defeated. Sportacus kissed the side of his face. Robbie inhaled sharply.

"Hey," he said, his voice mildly strained. "How far away is the air ship?" Sportacus paused and looked confused.

"It's above Pixel's house right now. Why?"

"No reason," Robbie replied, eyes darting around the room and counting the number of cameras. "I felt like getting some fresh air. Away from the kids." Sportacus continued to look puzzled for a few moments before it finally dawned on him and he turned red.

"Ah," he said. "That sounds like a good idea." And he released Robbie, grabbing his hand and helping him to his feet.

"But first, I want to go to the store," Robbie added.

"Huh? What for?"

"Strawberry flavored-… well, you'll find out anyway."

Sportacus followed Robbie as he walked out.

"Strawberry flavored what? Come on Robbie! Tell me!"

Robbie flashed a grin and stayed silent.

* * *

AN:

Robbie has developed a taste for strawberry flavored things now. Go figure. And yeah... if the end didn't make sense, it's because they don't _normally_ use condoms.

Oh, I went there.

Anyway, this is the final chapter! I'm still working on Honey Butter Toast, and I have another fic I might get finished with before that... called Seduction, and it's plot is basically Robbie determines that the only way to convince Sportacus to leave is to seduce the elf, make him fall in love with him, and then tell him to leave. Of course it all goes horribly wrong, like most of Robbie's plans, but that's the point!

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this little ficlet, and thanks again for all the reviews!


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